Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Artificial Intelligence Is Human

I am always fascinated by people who are opposed to artificial intelligence. I wonder if they realize that they are as much of a machine as this robot that sits on my desk. They are a mechanical entity. A system that uses chemical reactions instead of wires to create electrical impulses to control its actions.

When you look at realistically there is really no difference between a child I make in a lab and a machine I code in my room.

After all, your intelligence is not organic. You had to go to school, listen to your parent, observe your surroundings, learn etc. You were coded by others with their knowledge. In a similar way to how I code this program.

I wonder if we are afraid of AI because the devices use logic and we could not lie or con the machines.

Haven't we always created stuff in our perfect image without our flaws and failings. Statues, paintings, myths, legends and memories, Why are we afraid to create something better then us? Because it makes us useless? Forces us to see how flawed we are? Couldn't it also teach us to be more perfect?

Maybe the only thing that makes us human is our insecurity and our ability to try to hide it.

Maybe we are not as intelligent and as evolved as we would like to believe.

7 comments:

Rocketstar said...

Right on, it all comes down to 1's and 0's, even in our brain. Electrical impulses go to and from our brain and limbs.

Once we can replicate the power and sustainability of the heart, we will no longer need human flesh.

Singularity my friend, it will happen.

Anonymous said...

This makes me think about Social Darwinism (not the bad kind)--but rather just the belief that all humans will try out options and continue using options that meet with the least resistance that bring us happiness or pleasure. Just like a child who whines for candy and get the candy continues to whine everytime they want candy...because it works. AI is no different. We have short-term memory like computers--when we've perfected a pattern in our mind, we dish up the response quickly from the short-term to act.

The only difference being that we are shaped by social and personal cues--the barriers we meet are largely shaped our by our socioeconomic background and implied moral compass (which is likely an outcropping of the socioeconomic background). The complete rejection/inability to absorb these cues is diagnosable, then, as sociopathology. At least that is how I've come to understand this (pretty rudimentary).

Muffy Willowbrook said...

Now I feel stupid.

scargosun said...

"Why are we afraid to create something better then us?"

Isn't that why people have kids?

You make some good points. I just don't think that everything should always be based on hard logic. I like the human aspect of many things.

Bill From Gainesville said...

As a side point, its like managers that dont hire someone simply because they believe that person is to good, smart etc. They are afraid that someone working for them is better then they are and they see that person as a threat. I have seen that happen before in organizations. same principle just drilled down without the AI part of the argument.

Maggie Moo said...

I'm with scargosun-it's not all black and white-the gray areas are where most of the interesting things happen.

And yeah-our ability to feel emotions is a major difference. :)

Blinds said...

I think that it revolves around the concept of control. For humans, control means safety. It's hard to live in an environment where you don't feel safe.